Staff writer
Brad Seacat of Seacat Do-it-Best Hardware in Marion told county commissioners Monday that the store and two outbuildings are for sale.
“By Marion standards it’s a very new facility, less than 10 years old,” he said.
Commissioners have discussed constructing or buying a building to house the health, planning and zoning, environmental health, and possibly other departments.
Seacat said his asking price was about half of what he heard commissioners had been discussing. However, he didn’t disclose what his asking price was. Commission Chairman Randy Dallke said he didn’t want to hear a price until he had a chance to see the building in person.
Dallke said he would like to have departments closer to the courthouse than the hardware store, which is along U.S. 56, but he liked that the building was big enough to house several departments.
The store is 10,000 square feet. The outbuildings are 4,800 and 2,700 square feet but don’t have heat, Seacat said.
Heating and cooling the store is inexpensive for its size, he said. Air conditioning this summer has cost about $600 a month, and heating bills during winter are similar in cost.
Regardless of whether the county purchases Seacat’s buildings, they should tackle the space issue with a single large project instead of several small projects, Seacat said.
“The worst thing they can do is add a little here and renovate a little there,” he said after the meeting.
Seacat wouldn’t say whether he and his wife, Anita, would relocate or close their business if the county bought the store.
“All I can say is my wife and I are thinking of making some changes,” he said.